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Junkyard Dogz
The Junkyard Dogz * 'Home Base: 'Junkyard Brewing Company, 1416 1st Ave N, Moorhead , MN UCAS 56560 *'Colors and Signs: '''The Junkyard Dogz take their name seriously. They wear the Dog logo on their clothes, usually as a patch or hat, many have tattoos of it. And of course there's that one apocryphal story about using the foam cup cozies as armbands but everyone is pretty sure that was just that one drunken party. Dogs also figure pretty heavily in their code phrases 'Walking the Dog' means moving a shipment, 'Taking it to the Vet' means that a cargo has been seized by law enforcement, etc. And since most of the Dogz are, in fact, actual dog owners, this can be pretty hard to pick out from regular conversation. They also announce what they have for sale and when it will be available through an elaborate system of graffiti that the locals have all learned to look for and read, using neighboring businesses and even train cars to advertise their wares. *'Rackets: 'The Dogz were founded as and remain primarily as a black market for locals in Moorhead. This has two aspects to it. One is that they 'acquire' (Theft, smuggling things without tariffs, sneaking things from workplaces, unlicensed crafting or just plain old under-the-table bartering) things that people need at prices that the locals can actually afford in the ongoing economic disaster that is life outside the Corps in the Sixth World. Or for some people, to get stuff at all in the case of groups (like the SINless and the infected ) who live outside the bounds of official business. The other, complimentary, aspect of their work is they provide a marketplace for those who make stuff without a business license, who can't afford to compete with the megas, to get their stuff out there where their friends and neighbors can buy or barter for it. This is a pretty intensive operation (as well as running the legit business of the Brewery, since most of the people who work at or for Junkyard are also Dogz) that takes up most of the time and energy of the gang. While some of the Dogz aren't half-bad fighters, mostly they rely on their allies for when they need muscle. *'Allies: 'In a way the Dogz are nothing but a network of allies. Their biggest business partners are, of course, the Blind Pigs , and the Dogz have the first pick of the Pigs' cargoes to distribute on the Moorhead side of the river. And through the Pigs, the Dogz have contact with Underberg operations in Moorhead, and the Ralphs are usually the first they call on when they need muscle. They also have a close working relationship with the Brewery Gangs across the river in Fargo, especially their opposite numbers in the Woodchippers, who they do a lot of business with and who give them access to the Oceti Sakowin-side networks of the Lake Devils, although they also have pretty good, if mostly informal and social, relations with the other Brewers, the Drummers and the Brawlhallans. They also have an independent relationship with The Pain, another bunch they can call on for the rough stuff if need be. They are the primary sellers to the Moorlocks and are known to be a main market for the Highland Crew, although THAT is a more complicated relationship than it seems on the surface. A lot of the Dogz have backgrounds in neighborhood gangs like the Rebels, and still have some youth contacts back in those areas as well. *'Rivals: '''While the Dogz don't have what you'd call 'Rivalries' (they make themselves a pretty easy bunch to like) and Moorhead doesn't have the gang rivalries you see across the river (even their 'rivalry' with the Swing Blades is more or less confined to softball and pranks), their wide-ranging black market activities have occasionally caught some attention they'd rather not have. While the threat of the Tempo-dealing Winter Cartel trying to take their territory has died down in the last couple of years, and the Menace has decided to leave them mostly alone after a chat with the Myhre Sisters, the independent Dogz try and keep their heads down and avoid dealing directly with the big mobs, for fear of annexation. Their close relationship with the Roamer Families also exposes them to the dark side of Roamer life, raids from the Jacks, who rate as the most common reason they need to call on their allies for violence. Oh, and while it should go without saying, the Dogz top the 'most wanted' list of the local Knight Errant franchise, with the special ire of Captain Miles Jungroth himself... which the Dogz wear like a badge of pride. Return to: Gangs Return to: Junkyard Brewing Category:Moorhead Category:Underworld